The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, is on the hunt for architects to plan and design its forthcoming expansion. The institution has launched a global competition as part of a larger rebranding for the museum, unfolding in 2025. The renovation, it hopes, will attract wider audiences, while establishing it as a more inclusive, community-focused destination. 

“This is a very exciting moment for the Nelson-Atkins and for Kansas City,” said Evelyn Craft Belger, chair of the museum’s board of trustees, who will also head up the Architect Selection Committee. “We look forward to seeing submissions from a diverse pool of architects from all backgrounds and across the world. Through this process we know we’ll identify a team that connects deeply with the museum’s vision and will be dedicated to fully realizing our mission.”

The museum’s extensive collection consists of 42,000 items, including works from leading European and American artists as well photography, modern sculpture, Native American, African and Egyptian galleries. Its grounds boast two structures—a stately Beaux Arts edifice and the lustrous Bloch Building, a 2007 addition designed by architect Steven Holl—as well as a 22-acre sculpture park. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The competition is seeking a local, national, or international architect-led team to help usher in this new phase for the museum; it will take place in several parts. Another challenge that the chosen design team will face is attempting to expand the current conventions of the museum into a more open space. Additionally, project aims to combine the current Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, and two other pre-existing buildings to offer a new visitor-focused experience.

The estimated construction budget for the Nelson-Atkins competition is $160 million to $170 million and will be funded entirely by private donations. 

The first stage will see architect-led multidisciplinary teams submit details of their approach, team composition, and experience. From there, selections will be made and up to five finalist teams will receive a $75,000 competition fee for concept designs and additional consultants to enhance their design proposal. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The finalists’ proposals will be judged by the museum’s Architect Selection Committee, which is made up of various past and present members of the Nelson-Atkins’s trustees board as well as Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the museum. Once the museum has selected a winner from the shortlisted teams, it will then work with them to identify a partner design firm. 

“This expansion solidifies the Nelson-Atkins’ foundational desire to reach all audiences, particularly those for whom art is not familia,” said Zugazagoitia. “It will enable the museum to better serve our community, and I envision a vibrant space for visitors to become energized by art and immersed in new and creative experiences.”

The deadline for the first-phase submissions is October 29.